OSPI seeks $10M from WA Legislature to improve test scores

OSPI: Improvements in WA state test scores

State test scores are in and students in Washington are showing improvements in some subjects.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The latest state test scores are in, and Washington students are showing continued improvements in several key subjects, like English, literacy, science and mathematics.

During a news conference on Wednesday, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) revealed results of the 2025 Smarter Balanced Assessment.

"There is a focus here on learning and it’s starting to pay off in a way that we can now tangibly see," said Reykdal. "The growth that we see in our students from year to year to year is finally pre-pandemic in terms of its slope. We see the same growth curve that we would see pre-pandemic, which is exciting."

WA test scores

Dig deeper:

In Washington, students enrolled in grades 3–8 and 10 take the state assessment every spring. This kind of testing is required by the federal government, "designed to assess whether a student is on track for college-level learning without needing remedial courses," according to OSPI.

The state superintendent said, while the results are promising, the math levels aren’t as high as they could be. The assessment scores showed only 63.3% of students demonstrated foundational knowledge in math.

"By 8th grade math, there are 14 states that are statistically outperforming Washington. And this is not an anomaly. Our teams looked back at the last several years, and we’ve slowly been declining relative to the performance of other states," said Reykdal.

Education in Washington

By the numbers:

Washington students are beating the national average in math and other subjects. However, the U.S. overall is under-performing in mathematics compared to global levels.

"If there is an area where the United States is struggling relative to our peers globally, and where Washington state is still outperforming the national average but needs a lot of help, it’s in mathematics," said Reykdal. 

To boost math learning statewide, Reykdal announced a $10 million budget proposal for 2025 to the Governor and state legislature. He said the "targeted investment" would include funds to support math instruction. 

"I know the legislature has difficult financial times, but this is basic education — this is the future of our kids, this is the future of our economy," said Reykdal. "Math has got to be a key focus for Washington state."

The state superintendent explained that most of OSPI’s $10 million request would pay for professional development to enhance math teaching skills in kindergarten through eighth grade.

"We have to integrate math into more content areas, our examples can be mathematical, our opportunities to give kids thought-provoking questions during the day can be more mathematical," said Reykdal.

The state superintendent also said some of the dollars would fund software and technology, initially for elementary students, to continue developing their math education outside the classroom.

"It’s really so important for the family to have access to resources. And those who don’t, it really is a significant impact for kids," said Reykdal.

Why you should care:

In a state like Washington that is full of technology, science, engineering, and math industries, Reykdal said the $10 million should be considered as a "down payment" towards the future economy and the next generation of professionals.

"If our students are going to compete fairly in the future, we can’t just be good in literacy, we can’t just continue to outshine the world there and in science. We also have to make gains in mathematics. We want our students to be competitive," said Reykdal. "It means a focus on math."

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